Alfred State College president says wind a win-win’

Friday

Mar 28, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 28, 2008 at 11:39 AM

When John Anderson was a candidate for Alfred State College president, he spent a great deal of time thinking about what the college had to offer, in terms of generating more revenue. One such asset was its property. Marrying the land with a way to be more environmentally friendly, Anderson thought there may be potential to generate revenue by harnessing wind power.

Rob Montana

When John Anderson was a candidate for Alfred State College president, he spent a great deal of time thinking about what the college had to offer, in terms of generating more revenue.

One such asset was its property, both at the college’s farm off Route 244 and at the Lake Lodge. Marrying the land with a way to be more environmentally friendly, Anderson thought there may be potential to generate revenue by harnessing wind power.

“I researched it a little bit, and there’s been a lot of local interest and, understandably, controversy surrounding wind power,” Anderson said. “I went to one of our alums, Mr. (Tom) Golisano (who co-founded Empire State Wind Energy), I had dinner with him in January and asked him how it might work.

“I thought it was nothing but a win-win situation for the community and the college — if the community was willing to discuss it,” he said.

The first step, Anderson said, was to determine if such a venture was feasible for the college to undertake and if the property would capture any wind energy.

Keith Pitman, Empire State Wind’s co-founder and chief engineer, came to the college and did an initial assessment of the property and access.

“He said it was worth further investigation,” Anderson said. “At that point I called (village) Mayor Craig Clark and town Supervisor Jeanne Cartwright and gave them a what-if scenario.

“What we did at that meeting was agree to have an open discussion with the two boards,” he said, “and that’s where we’re at.”

A discussion of the project is expected to take place at the next village board meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. April 8 at the village hall.

Anderson was quick to say the matter is very much in a discussion stage, and no deals have been made.

“My whole position on this is, it’s certainly a worthwhile project to look into,” he said, “but, by no means, if the community is opposed to this, and the town and village don’t want to pursue it, then end of discussion.”

There is still more research to be done on the feasibility of the project, Anderson said, and no financial arrangements have been determined yet.

Beyond the financial incentives of doing such a project, he said the college would be able to further its increasing environmental mission.

“It’s a symbol of the college’s growing commitment to looking at alternative energy sources and sustainability, and serving as a role model for the students,” Anderson said.

Among those types of initiatives already in place are the use of the farm’s organic crops by dining services, creating a center for sustainable agriculture and the construction of a biodiesel reactor to allow the college to utilize used vegetable oil from its cafeterias to help power the buses that run between the Alfred and Wellsville campuses.

“This is just one more initiative to look at to see how we can reduce our fossil fuel use and our carbon footprint as a College of Technology,” Anderson said. “I view it as rather exciting.”

The decision to approach Empire State Wind was helped by Golisano’s connection, but Anderson said the philosophy of the company attracted him to it. He said many wind companies are from out of state, which then come into local areas — such as the Southern Tier — negotiate deals with local landowners, and then apply for permits to construct the turbines.

Anderson said the permitting process is often when local government officials first find out about these projects, and Empire State Wind officials say they want to work with the communities throughout the process, not just at the end.

“They look at working upfront with communities and making sure the communities have a say in the situation,” he said. “I think that’s the absolute correct approach, plus there’s a minimal financial risk if any of these communities take on a project and many rewards.

“There’s no question many people have feelings about how these turbines affect the landscape and the environment,” Anderson said, “and those are all the things we’d like to have an open discussion about.”

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